The Wiz (Adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum). by Brown, William F - September 1975: Book by William F. Brown. Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls.

Boston, New York, London: Lamson, Wolffe and Company, 1898. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine+. First English Edition, inscribed in an elegant hand by the translator on front fly-leaf: "Compliments of / Howard Thayer Kingsbury / November, 1898." Small 8vo: 241,[1]pp. Publisher's original red cloth lettered and decorated in silver to spine and upper board, with frontispiece portrait (tissue guard still present) of the actor Richard Mansfield in costume. A Near Fine or better, spine slightly faded (though silver remains bright) and darkened page edges. Very scarce, particularly in this condition. Cyrano de Bergerac was first published in France by Charpentier et Fasquelle in 1898 (following its stage production at the Porte Saint-Martin Theater in Paris on December 28, 1897), and first translated into English by Kingsbury for Lamson, Wolffe the same year. Mansfield was the first actor to play Cyrano in the United States in an English translation. The play is based loosely on the life of Savien de… Read More

Folio (ca. 360 x 273 mm). [i] (title), 20, [i] (blank) pp. Notated in black ink on music paper with 20 printed staves per page. Scored for double choir and piano. The work begins in A minor, in 3/4, Très Allant (quasi Allo). Textual incipit: "Dans la forêt où rien ne bouge ..." The engraver's copy, prepared for the publishing house Alphonse Leduc et Cie. With the composer's autograph signature ("Henri Busser") and date ("Paris, Août 15") to p. 20. Occasional erasures and corrections in black ink in the composer's hand. Lower edge of title with publisher's handstamps and manuscript date ("[19]35") and plate number ("A.L. 19,198") in an early hand. Numerous editorial markings, minor annotations, and occasional corrections in one or more early hands in pencil and red crayon. Slightly worn and soiled; minor ink smudges to three pages slightly affecting notation. A piano-vocal edition of Le Petit Chaperon, with plate number A.L. 19,198, was published by Alphonse Leduc in 1935. Not in the Grove… Read More

NY: DBS Pubications, 1958. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 1958 Stated FIRST Printing of this very rare edition. In VG+/VG condition. The HB has a previous owner stamp on the ffep. Otherwise with bright, tight orange boards & top stain. Filled with B/W photos from the Broadway musical. The DJ is price-clipped but clean & bright/. There is minor edge wear. A classic!

1865. Hardcover. Good. The West Point account book of William Gerhard, while a cadet, 1865-1869, and 6 documents relating to his military service. William Gerhard (1847-1914) of Philadelphia was the son of Benjamin Gerhard (1811-1864) and Anna Sergeant Gerhard (1815-1873). He married Sally Lyle Howell (1855-1879) and they had one child, Arthur Howell Gerhard (1877-1949). He was appointed a cadet on Sept. 8, 1864, and was at West Point from June 1865 through June 1869, when he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieut in the 9th United States Cavalry on June 15. He served in Texas from Oct. 1869 until he resigned on September 30, 1874, having been promoted to 1st Lieut on Nov. 19, 1873. Following his military service, he was a manufacturer of chains and anchors in Ardmore, Pa., and then a senior member of Empire Chain Works, Philadelphia, Pa. The account book is the original calf-bound book issued by West Point showing Gerhard's monthly expenses for items from the commisary and other expenses for the 4… Read More

[Cleveland], 1964. Typescript, two pages, 4to (11 x 8.5 inches). With mailing folds. Two inked corrections. Published in 'The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle' and anthologized in 'The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry,' ed. Alan Kaufman, New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1999. This typescript shows two corrections made in levy's hand - adding "in cleveland" at the end of the sub-title and changing the last words of the second stanza - that subsequently appeared in the published editions: See 'The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle,' edited by Mike Golden, NY: Seven stories Press, 1999, p. 199." Original manuscript and typescript material by the famed, and infamous, Cleveland poet is scarce, with only two pieces appearing at auction in the past 50 years.

4 pp. Cambridge, Apr. 29, 1880. 12mo. Neatly written letter from Longfellow to Charles Kent (1823-1902), well-known English poet, biographer and journalist, concerning a book written by Kent ("Corona Catholica), and others sent to Longfellow for which Kent had never heard back concerning Longfellow's receipt of the books. He writes: "My Dear Mr. Kent, I hasten wit all speed to thank you for your kind letter and for the "Corona Catholica," both of which reached me safely and are very welcome. But I am troubled by what you say of the other books sent so long ago, your collected Poems, and "Charles Dickens as Reader." They were both received and I wrote to you at the time a letter full of thanks, particularly for the Poems and among the Poems, more particularly for the beautiful lines addressed to me, which I always deeply feel." He goes on to say that he is truly grieved that his letter never reached Kent, with the only consolation being this letter. He also thanks Kent for the "Corona" but states that… Read More

New York : Boni & Liveright, Inc., 1927. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Green Cloth. Very Good/Near Fine Dustjacket. 8 3/8 " High. Three Different Editions: A Fine Copy Of The Signed Limited First Edition Of The Book, Signed By O'neill, In A Near Fine Original Slipcase. Also Included Is The First Trade Edition, Near Fine In A Near Fine, Unfaded Dust Jacket, Not Price-Clipped. Also Included Is A Unique Copy Of The Third Printing, February 1928, The Printing Just Before The First Production Of The Play, At The Pasadena Playhouse. Prepared By Or For Claude D. Seaman [Of The Standard Lighting Company, Los Angeles], With His Name On Front Endpaper Carefully Blocked In Ink. Printed Heading, By Hand, On First Blank "World Premiere/ Of O'neill's/ "Lazarus Laughed"/ Pasadena Community Playhouse/ April 9 - 1928"; Repeated On Verso; Half Title With Line For Author's Signature [But He Was Not Present And This Line Is Thus Blank]; Verso With "World Premiere..." Text Repeated, With Lines For Director, Musical… Read More

Chicago, 1952-53. Including 3 typed letters signed (one with the signature removed for reproduction in Vistas in Astronomy) and 2 autograph letters signed by Urey. Housed in Beer's tan paper folder with "Urey" in ink on the cover. Just a little creasing to some pieces. Excellent condition. An archive of correspondence between astronomer Arthur Beer and Nobel Prize winning chemist Harold Urey regarding the latter's contribution to Vistas in Astronomy. Beer (1900-1980) was born in Richenberg, Bohemia (later Czechoslovakia), and educated in Austria and Germany. He worked as an astronomer at Breslau University, where he studied binary stars, and at the German Maritime Observatory. He also wrote newspaper columns and was responsible for developing one of the first scientific radio programmes, Aus Natur und Technik. Beer escaped from Germany in 1934, assisted by Einstein, who wrote him a public letter of recommendation, and spent the rest of his life in the UK. He worked at the Cambridge Solar Physics… Read More

London: William Pickering, 1825. Hardcover. Very Good. 3.5" x 2" Miniature edition of t he Plays of Shakespeare in 9 volumes, in custom slipcase. Vol 1: [vi] 306 p.p.; vol 2: 279 p.p; vol 3: 294 p.p; vol 4: 326 p.p; vol. 5: 321 p.p.; vol. 6: 348 p.p.; vol. 7: 320 p.p.; vol. 8: 315 p.p.; vol. 9: 279 p.p. [liv]. Full green morocco bindings, with some wear and scuffs. Spine rebacked with new black leather with original spine laid down on volume 1 only. Gilt titles on spines and gilt ruling on inner edges. 38 B&W plates, incl. frontis. engraved by Augustus Fox, from a picture painted by T. Stothard R.A. from the rare print by Droeshout. Browning to pages and illustrations, sporadic light foxing throughout. Water staining to volume 6, not affecting text. William Pickering was an English publisher notable for introducing cloth binding to British publishing. Dedicated to Earl R.H. George John Spencer, the 2nd Lord Spencer, noted for his interest in literature, particularly early examples of printing.… Read More

Salem, N.J., 1840. Hardcover. Good. [approx. 650] p.; 41 cm. Remains of original leather binding. Ledger book of David Smith Darmon (1815-1879), a saddler in Salem, N.J. The first part of the ledger begins on April 15, 1840, and goes to Feb. 26, 1858, in Salem, N.J. The next page is headed "Philadelphia July 16 1859." The Philadelphia entries run through March 1860. The next page is headed "The Regular Book of Entries Belonging to David S. Darmon" and starts with April 11, 1865, in Salem, N.J. This suggests that the business had been taken over by David Smith Darmon, one of the sons of David Smith Darmon (1815-1879), the latter generally known as Smith Darmon. This section runs to April 1875. The next section begins in Salem in Feb. 1889 but does not identify the person who "Commenced business this date." It runs to the beginning of 1892. The final section contains entries from the 1870s. David Smith Darmon (1815-1879) worked with leather as well as renting… Read More